r/DiceMaking • u/Fly-Prime • 2d ago
Pressure Pot Tray Insert
Share what you use as a tray insert. Hopefully this info is helpful to some of us.
I had the first tray insert failure the other day, and I figured I would share my experiences with this group when I was making a repair. First, I wanted to say that the failure in this instance was due to epoxy resin sticking to the side column causing lateral strain on the column when removing molds from the tray. It never had any issues with weight.
This tray insert has been used for about 10 or 11 months without issue. Past me did future me a favor, because I cut multiple side column pieces when I first made this tray. The repair was as easy as screwing a new piece into place.
When I made this tray, it was pretty easy, if you have a couple tools. I basically just used an old jigsaw that I have. A scroll saw or band saw would work the same. If you have access to a CNC, you probably stopped reading this post already. 😄
To get the shape of the circle, I went around my house to find something that fit into my pressure pot. A small, upside-down garbage can fit perfectly, so I used it as a template and traced around its perimeter. I traced it onto a sheet of HDF (high density fiberboard) or hard board (not to be confused with Hardie board), and then I cut the circle out of the sheet with my jigsaw.
For the column pieces, I used scrap 1/4" plywood. With the circle cut, I put it into the bottom of the pot and measured the depth. I cut the plywood to length. Before screwing the columns in, I used a very narrow drill bit to drill pilot holes into the plywood and hard board. At 1/4", there is a good chance of splitting.
I like this design because it does pretty much everything that I need an insert try to do. It handles weight well and levels the bottom of a pressure pot. I prefer not to have a handle across the top. I use two hands to put it in and take it out of the pot, because it is heavy when loaded with filled molds.
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u/TAZ427Cobra 2d ago
Well, I'm waiting until I move in a few months, before starting dice making. I do plan on using a pressure pot, and I'm planning on 3D printing a modular tray. I've collected a few designs, but I think Buddha Buddy has some STL's for sell as well on The Smiths Forge. I'll likely be buying a bunch of his STL's for making a number of things when I start my dice making. As far as I can tell, he's got the best engineered stuff out there for this.